Fastener for baskets



J. WENER 2,008,632

FASTENER FOR BASKETS Filed July 31, 1955 July 16, 1935.

INVENTOR.

WWW

Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,008,632 FASTENER FOR, BASKETS Jack Wener, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application July 31, 1933, Serial No. 682,967 In Canada October-'27, 1932 1 Claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a fastener particularly for fruit baskets-but Which may be used when desired in connection with any other kinds of basket where it is desirous of semipermanently attaching the cover portion to the body portion of the basket.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, comination and arrangement of co-operating elements as hereinafter more specifically set forth, claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing forming a part of the present application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one end'of a fruit basket, showing my fastener primarilyengaged thereon.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one end of a fruit basket, part being broken away, and showing my fastener in completely engaged position therein.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

My fastener is composed of a wire, which may be annular, square, rectangular or in any other preferred shape in cross section. It comprises a body portion 4, with one end 5 bent back upon itself in spaced substantially parallel relationship to the body portion. The opposite end 5 is bent in offset relationship preferably from the same side as the end 5 and at substantially right angles to the body portion 4. The end 6 is barbed with one or more barbs as at 1.

8 is the body portion of a fruit basket of the style now commonly used for packing and transportation of grapes, peaches, pears or other like fruits, vegetables or many other produce or commodities. The body portion 8 is provided with a band 9 and a cover portion l0, which may be formed with an intermediate longitudinal slat or slats or may have a netting intermediate the longitudinal side members. The construction of the cover portion in many modified forms is common in the manufacture of such baskets. In all cases, there is a marginal portion H across the ends.

In fastening the cover portion It to the body portion 8 of the basket, the end 5 of my fastener is hooked under the band 9 as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The upper end of the body portion 4 is then bent over the marginal portion of the cover portion I0 and the end 6 of my fastener is forced through the marginal portion ll sufficient to permit the barb 1 on the end 6 'tion H.

to become engaged relative to the marginal por- Thus, I provide a means for semi-permanently fastening the cover portion ID to the body portion 8 of a basket. When it is desirous of opening the basket to remove the contents, a knife or other fiat tool is inserted between the lower end of the body portion 4 of my fastener and the band 9. Upon a twisting movement being given to the knife or other tool, the lower end of my fastener may be easily removed from hooked 2 engagement relative to the band 9. If it is desirous to remove the fastener from thecover portion til, the fastener may be threaded ahead through the opening formed in the marginal portion of the cover portion H! by the end 6 when the latter was being forced into the marginal portion l 1! during fastening operation.

I appreciate that fasteners of a like nature to that hereinbefore disclosed, with the exception of the barbed feature on the cover portion engagea ment end, have been used for fastening cover portions to body portions of baskets. These have been found inadequate to fully obtain the results for which they were designed, in view of the fact that many of the cover portions of the baskets are disengaged from their body portions while being transported or in foreign transit. The smooth ends of such fasteners, when bent and simply forced through the marginal portion of the cover portion, depend solely on the semirigidity of the body portion of the fastener as a means to retain them in fastened position. In view'of the common and constant movement between the cover portions and the body portions of a plurality of baskets piled one upon the other while in transit, a great'many of the common fasteners are lost off because their ends engaged in the cover portions work loose and become disengaged. The semi-rigidity of the body portion of such fastener is not sufficient to withstand the strain against disengagement of the end engaged in the cover portion.

In View of the facts as above set forth, the fruit branch of the Department of Agriculture, Dominion of Canada, and I presume like departments in the United States, are constantly recommending to shippers, that they should use six (6) of these common fasteners instead of two (2) as formerly used. This results in three times as many fasteners being required, which, with the increased cost of labour for placing and engaging the same into position, materially increases the cost of packing. Furthermore, the common fastener does not reasonably provide any means for eliminating pilfering during transportation. A knife or other flat tool may be easily placed under the cover portion engagement end of the fastener and raise it up, in View of the fact that this is simply forced through the cover material and is not in any way engaged relatively theretov After the pilfering has taken place, the end of the fastener which has been bent up is simply bent back and inserted through the opening in the cover portion originally made by such end.

With my fastener, as disclosed in this application, both ends are semi-permanently attached in their respective portions and the ordinary movements between cover portion and body portion while in transit would not be sufiicient todisengage the respective ends of my fastener from their semi-permanent engaged position relative to the cover portion and body portion of the basket. The retaining of my fastener in its fastening position does not depend on the semirigidity of the body portion of the fastener. Furthermore, my fastener will eliminate the possibility of pilfering in view of the fact that the cover engagement end is semi-permanently engaged in the marginal portion thereof and cannot be pulled backthrough the same from its normal engage-d position without excessive force being used. If the band engagement end is disengaged, the fastener will be bent in such a manner as will not permit it to be replaced without detection.

1 do not wish to limit myself to the use of this fastener to fruit baskets, as the same may be used for attaching lids or covers to many other styles of containers. The body portion of the container may be of any suitable material through which the hooked end 5 may be first engaged, after which the then free end would be bent over and forced through the. lid, thus providing a semi-permanently fastening means be-- tween the respective portions.

The foregoing specifications and annexed drawing discloses the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that minor changes may be resorted to in the commercial adaptation of my invention without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What I claim as new is:

A fastener for the ends of a cover for fruit baskets of elongated type and having a cover so secured as to be susceptible of being pried up at the ends, said fastener including an elongated body portion having one end bent back upon itself to interfit with a part of the body of the basket adjacent the rim, a length to overlie the end of the cover, and a terminal at an angle to such length and terminally formed with a cover penetrating means having the function to disrupt the .cover in attempted withdrawal.

JACK WENER. 

